


The Grinning Blue Barista

by heichousorchid



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Langst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-08-04 15:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16349684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heichousorchid/pseuds/heichousorchid
Summary: A Voltron Modern Coffee Shop AU featuring Lance and Shiro, filled with Langst and fluff and all that good stuff. Might include some strong language, mental or physical abuse, and a few heavy scenes. Hope you enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you spot any mistakes in the writing, please tell me. Thanks! Enjoy! Btw careful with this chapter, Shiro's thoughts on Lance are such fluff material, I almost got a cavity just writing it.
> 
> In this story, Lance and Hunk are 19, Keith and Pidge are 16, and Shiro is 24.

Shiro could not believe it had happened again. Keith, the nephew he'd taken in after his sister had died, had gotten expelled from yet another school. That had to be... the fifth one? In only two years? How was that even possible? So Shiro had put his foot down, decided to move them to a new place. Change of scenery would be good for Keith; new town, new school, new Keith, all that stuff. He hoped it worked. He was getting so stressed, his hair was starting to turn white.

That had been a week ago. Now Shiro had already moved them out here, found a nice apartment, a new school for Keith, and a new job. Tutoring had always been a fun side job for him, so now he'd decided to do it to cover their living costs. If need be, he had some money saved up in the bank, but they probably wouldn't need it. He wanted to save up some more for when Keith needed it. 

Walking down one of the busier streets in their new town, Shiro was suddenly hit with the scent of coffee and fresh bread. There! Across the street was a small coffee shop with an old, beat up sign that read "Succulent Cafe and Bakery". Looked like he would be stopping for coffee, then.

A small bell chimed as Shiro entered. There weren't very many customers sitting at the tables; a dark-skinned girl with white hair reading a book and sipping at her drink, and two identical-looking teenagers wearing large glasses working on their laptops, too many empty espresso cups strewn across their table. 

'They must be siblings.' Shiro thought, walking towards the counter. There his eyes met brilliant sapphire blue eyes, as deep as the sea, bright with mischief and joy. The eyes were, of course, attached to a face. A beautiful face, with beautifully tanned skin and a brilliant smile. And that face was attached to a body, also a beautiful one. Tall, though shorter than Shiro, and incredibly lanky, with long legs and arms. Even his fingers were beautiful, thin and long. 'STOP!' Shiro thought to himself. He had to get himself under control.

He got to the counter, took a deep breath, and ordered his drink. "One, uh, large Americano with.. two creams. Please." 'Wow, good job, Shiro. Let him know you're awkward.' He thought to himself sarcastically.

"One large Americano with two creams coming right up." How could a smile shine so brightly? 

Shiro payed for his coffee and picked it up at the other end of the counter a minute later. He tried to hide his face when he went for his coffee, sure it was red. After he sat down, he continued to sneak glances at the pretty barista. 

A taller, more buff guy with a bright smile soon came out of the kitchen with a tray of some sort of pastry. He talked to the barista, all the while smiling and laughing. It seemed to be contagious, and soon enough they were both laughing and having fun. Shiro paused, awestruck at the pure joy coming off of the beautiful barista. How could one person look so beautiful?

When blue eyes met with his, Shiro quickly looked down at his table, sipping at his coffee as if it had all the answers to the world. 

"Oh, Lance, by the way, don't forget your jacket in the break room today. You always do." Shiro suddenly heard from the taller man, who must've been the baker.

"Okay, Hunk, thanks. See you tomorrow." Shiro saw the barista, Lance, take off his apron and walk into the back. 

'His shift must be over,' Shiro thought. 'His name suits him.'

Lance skipped out of the kitchen, past the tables and out the front door, jacket hanging off of his arm.  Shiro's eyes were drawn to him the whole way. 'Holy Crap!' he thought. He had the cutest, perkiest little butt Shiro had ever seen. His face felt on fire. 

He quickly finished his coffee and rushed home, eager to push his face into a pillow and pine for a guy he'd just barely met. Was it childish? Absolutely. Was he gonna do it? Absolutely.


	2. Chapter 2

After an hour or two of acting like a complete baby about his crush, Shiro decided it was time to make dinner. Keith would be home soon and would definitely wonder why Shiro was blushing into his pillow. 

Looking into the fridge, Shiro decided on brown curry and rice, thinking it might help Keith feel at home in his new surroundings, it had been his mother's specialty. Shiro could remember learning to make it from his mom alongside his sister. She ended up being the better cook of the two. 

Shiro was just about finished when Keith walked through the door, sporting his usual scowl. 

"Had a good look around the neighborhood and school?" Shiro flashed a smile at the young man. 

Of course, all he got from him was a shrug. He sighed, plating their food. 

"Eat up." He placed the plate, filled to the brim with curry and rice, in front of Keith. As they ate in silence, Shiro thought he saw a small smile on Keith's face, but it was gone a moment later.

***********************************************

Lance skipped down the sidewalk, excited to be going home after his shift. He loved working there, but was still always relieved to get home after working all day. 

He opened the door to his apartment and collapsed onto the couch. It was soft from so many years of use, and he sunk into it, closing his eyes. 

He awoke with a start. Had he fallen asleep? There was someone knocking at the door. He dragged himself off of the couch to open the door.

There stood Lotor, his boyfriend. They didn't live together, but Lotor did visit often. Right now, he stood outside of the door, eyes closed and lip puckered for a kiss. Lance giggled and kissed his boyfriend. 

"Babe, you have a key. You know you don't have to knock, right?"

"Of course, Kitten. I knocked just to make sure you were home already."

It always amazed Lance how considerate Lotor could be. His sky blue eyes would crinkle at the edges when he flashed his white teeth in a smile, giving him a gentle, friendly aura. His tanned skin was flawless, his long bleached hair made him look like an angel. Not an angel like a nice person, an actual angel. He was beautiful, even taller than Lance and with lean muscles. Damn, he was sexy. Lance bit his lip and blushed.

Lotor put his arms around Lance and picked him up, carrying him into his own apartment. 

"Wanna make dinner together?"

Lance nodded, his smile growing.

They started on dinner, deciding to make pasta, since it wasn't difficult to make, and they both liked it. After they'd made it, they sat down at the table to eat together. Lance talked about his day at work, while Lotor calmly listened.

"And I finally remembered to bring my jacket home with me. Hunk reminded me just as I was leaving, I would've forgotten it AGAIN." Lance laughed at his story, unaware of Lotor pausing his eating and scowling.

"The fat guy, again? I thought I told you I didn't like him? C'mon, Love, you'll make me jealous." Lotor seethed, the last part thick with sarcasm.

Lance stopped laughing immediately, turning red with anger. 

"And I thought I told you not to be rude to or about him. He's my friend, I wish you could get along."

"Oh, I see. So now my opinion doesn't matter at all. Maybe he should be your boyfriend if he's more important than me."

Lance sighed. How could Lotor be so petty and jealous when just 20 minutes ago he'd been so kind? Lotor had always been like this, but it wasn't really a big deal. Lance could handle himself in an argument, thanks to him having so many older siblings.

"Well, excuse me if I want to have not only a boyfriend, whom I love, but also some friends. You don't own me, Lotor, I can choose my own friends."

Lotor suddenly loomed over Lance, grabbing his wrist and dragging him to his room. Once there, Lotor threw Lance to the floor in the corner and started pacing the room. He often paced to let off steam, running his hands through his hair. 

Lance rubbed his wrist, it was definitely going to bruise. Lotor suddenly notice Lance staring at him while rubbing his wrist, and seemed to become annoyed. 

"So, what? Now I'm a bad guy? I'm the big, bad wolf because I have emotions? Don't antagonize me! Why do you always do this?!" 

Lotor was yelling now, Lance hoped no one would complain about the noise. 

"Not going to say anything? God, you're such a disappointment." Lotor let out a breath, suddenly calm. He looked down at Lance and seemed to notice Lance's wrist. "I'm sorry, kitten, let me see it."

Lance held out his arm. Lotor examined the wrist before kissing it and helping Lance up off of the floor. 

"I'm sorry, Lance. I sometimes lose my temper. Forgive me?"

"Of course, Babe." And Lance did, he always did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not good at updating things regularly, but I will try, okay guys? Please comment and leave kudos if you like it, it's what motivates me to continue writing. If I see someone commented and actually enjoyed reading it, it'll remind me to continue and put me in the mood to continue the story. Thanks! Enjoy!

Shiro could not for the life of him concentrate on anything. He didn't understand why he was so affected by Lance. Lance, even his name was cute. He had gone out of his way every day for the past week to see Lance, ordering coffee but never starting a conversation. Lance always seemed to emit light, making the whole cafe seem brighter. He smiled at every customer, was friendly to everyone. Even towards the end of his shift, when you could tell he was tired, he smiled and was friendly. 

Today was no different. Shiro sat at a table in the cafe, sneaking glances at the young man. When Lance went into the back to grab his stuff to leave, Shiro noticed a young man with long white hair and blue eyes, taller than Lance, but shorter than Shiro, walk in. Hunk, the resident baker, immediately stiffened, forcing a smile for the beautiful man. 

"Hey, Lotor," he forced out. "Here to pick up Lance? He's just grabbing his stuff."

It was strange to see the chef with anything other than a genuinely warm smile for anyone, which made Shiro curious. 

'Wait, he's picking up Lance? Are they related? Dating?' Shiro's mind would not stay still.

When Lance entered the room, he brightened immediately at the taller man. "Lotor! You came to pick me up?"

"Of course, kitten." The man named Lotor seemed to wear a genuine smile, hugging Lance and kissing his cheek quickly. "C'mon, time to go home." 

Okay, so obviously they were dating. Shiro's shoulders subconsciously dropped, his eyebrows furrowing and his fingers tapping on the table. 

Lance waved goodbye to Hunk, smiling widely. Then he followed Lotor out the door, skipping and humming happily.

Shiro, on the other hand, dragged his feet all the way home, collapsing onto the couch with a heavy sigh. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He had so hoped that Lance would be single, but at least this meant he was interested in guys, right? So then Shiro would just have to be patient.


	4. Chapter 4

Lance sat on the kitchen floor, arms wrapped around his legs and head on his knees. His cheeks had streaks from crying and his eyes were red and puffy, but at least his eyes had already dried.   
Pushing himself up off of the ground, he could hear broken glass fall off of his clothes and hit the floor.   
Lotor had thrown Lance's favourite glass to the floor, not even an hour before, a tall glass with a seashell design on it. He had been angry about something, Lance barely remembered what it had been exactly, probably something about how busy Lance had been the last week. Even with Lance's explanations, he hadn't calmed down. Lotor had then stormed out, slamming the door and leaving Lance alone with the mess.   
Lance sure felt like a mess. He couldn't even keep his boyfriend happy, Lotor probably wouldn't have to freak out and get angry if he was dating someone who was better at everything.   
Moving to grab the broom and dustpan, Lance noticed the blood running down his hand, dripping to the floor. As soon as he noticed his cut palm, his brain registered the pain. It wasn't comfortable but definitely not awful, meaning it probably hadn't done any real damage. He must've cut it standing up. But, of course, today had to be the day that Lance realized that he was out of band-aids.   
Lance washed the blood off of his hand, but it still seemed to be bleeding, so he used a tissue and some tape as an impromptu band-aid. He'd have to buy band-aids sometime, though, so he decided he might as well get them now, to replace his slightly uncomfortable homemade one.   
He walked to the closest drugstore, luckily just around the corner, and grabbed the first package of band-aids he saw. He also decided to grab himself a bottle of lemonade at the counter.   
As he turned around to leave, he bumped into a solid chest, falling back and releasing a quiet 'ow' at having supported himself with his injured hand.   
"Oh my god, I am so sorry. Are you alright?" asked a concerned voice.  
"Fine," he replied.   
"Here, let me help you up."  
Lance held out his uninjured hand, accepting the help. When he finally brought his attention to the man he'd bumped into, he was surprised to find a young man, probably a few years older than him, with dark hair and beautiful gray eyes. Eyes that were framed wonderfully by perfectly applied eyeliner. He looked familiar, but Lance couldn't tell where he'd seen him before. He was probably a customer.   
"Thanks." Lance whispered, suddenly embarrassed that he had bumped into someone so large. How had he not seen him? That was like not seeing Hunk.  
He slipped past Mr. Eyeliner, walking out of the store. He really wanted to shower and clean the glass on his kitchen floor, and then curl up on his bed and sleep. So that's exactly what he did.


	5. Chapter 5

Shiro could not believe Lance had bumped into him, and he hadn't even known what to say. 'Hey, Lance. Sorry for making you fall on your butt and also sorry for stalking you all week at work, even though I know perfectly well you're taken.'? Yeah, that'd be a conversation starter. Now he was sitting on the couch at home, leaning back and sighing disappointedly whenever he thought about it, but then also sighing dreamily whenever he thought about Lance.   
Keith was sitting at the table in the kitchen/eating space, so he had a clear view of Shiro being dramatic and sulking on the couch. Now, Keith was used to being the pouty teenager, so he was confused and entertained by Shiro in this state. After several hours, however, he felt it was enough.  
"What is it?" he asked the grown teenager.  
Shiro immediately sat up straight, his eyes widening at the younger boy. Had Keith just asked him about his problem? He was showing he cared?  
Keith, however, just stared back at him, annoyance clear in his expression.   
Shiro hadn't realized Keith had been watching him, he hadn't even noticed him sitting at the table. He had been too far into his thoughts at that point.   
Opening and closing his mouth, much like a fish, Shiro found no words to explain why he was so out of it. He knew why he was, but couldn't exactly tell Keith it was because of a crush. He'd never live it down.   
"Grownup things." he replied, his voice slightly more gruff than usual. As soon as he said it, he knew it was probably not the best choice of words. He was proven right when this just made Keith sigh, roll his eyes, and go back to doing his homework.  
'Great,' thought Shiro. 'He finally starts communicating like an adult and I treat him like a child. No wonder he never talks to me.'  
And with that thought, Shiro heads to bed. Maybe he wouldn't be such a screw-up in his dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

Lance was exhausted. The night had been a disaster. He'd accidentally brought up how he missed his seashell glass at dinner, which set Lotor off. He'd yelled at him for an hour, not to mention manhandled him and paced while seething. In the end, he hadn't even calmed down, just left with a slam of the door.   
Lance had tried to slow his heart down, cleaning up dinner and breathing deeply, but couldn't help the tears slowly trekking the passage of his cheeks. Lotor hadn't ever been that angry, slamming his hands on the counter, grabbing Lance's hair and wrists. Lance could already feel bruises forming along his arms. His tears fell into the sink, where his hands had stopped moving to clean the dishes, instead just sitting in the lukewarm water. He raised them to cover his eyes, water mingling with the salty tears. His body was wracked with sobs strong enough to buckle his knees and send him to his knees on the ground.   
Eventually, he dragged his heavy body to his bed, passing out almost immediately on the soft fabric.

When he awoke, it almost seemed as though he had never fallen asleep. He was exhausted, and had an awful headache. His arms didn't hurt anymore, but were covered in bruises that would. Poking one of them, he reasoned that as long as nobody touched them, he'd be fine.  
Upon choosing an outfit for the day, Lance choose a long-sleeved form-fitting sweater and his normal skinny jeans. No way was he leaving his bruised arms on display for everyone in the cafe to see.  
Passing the mirror, Lance realized just how tired he LOOKED. Puffy eyes, dry down turned lips, streaky cheeks. How could he look this bad even after sleeping? He sighed, splashing his face with water. Now for chapstick. There, at least he looked presentable.  
Before he could leave, someone knocked on Lance's door.  
"Coming!"  
When he answered the door, Lance came face to face with his Landlord, an older man with a receding hairline, barely-there beard and piercing icy blue eyes. Lance knew immediately that this would be about last night.  
"Mr. Jackson," Lance wheezed. "Hi."  
"Hey, Lance." he started, eyes piercing Lance's, trying to see into his soul. "Some of the other tenants reported hearing screaming coming from your place last night. You okay?"   
Lance sighed internally, but only smiled on the outside.   
"Oh, everything's fine. No need to worry."  
Of course, lance could tell that Mr. Jackson didn't quite believe him, but at least he let it slide with a simple 'okay'.  
This time, when Mr. Jackson had left, Lance sighed externally. And now he would have to rush to get to work on time, too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next part. I might not write much more this week since it’s exam week, or I might write another part just to put off studying. Who knows? Comment if you like it, and tell me if there’s any writing mistakes. Thanks to everyone who commented or left kudos, I love all of you. Btw, sorry all of my parts are so short. I get overwhelmed if I try to make longer parts, so I just kinda make a bunch of shorter ones. Enjoy!

Lance hadn’t seen Lotor in a week now. He had tried calling him, but Lotor wouldn’t answer his phone, and Lance was starting to get worried. Nothing could have happened to him, right? He was probably just sulking.   
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Lotor’s name appeared on Lance’s phone screen. He was finally calling.   
“Babe?” Lance answered, almost dropping his phone in his rush to answer his boyfriend.  
“Hey, Lance.” There was a sigh on the other end. “Look, I know you’re at work, but I stopped by the apartment and grabbed all my stuff. I left my set of keys on the table, so this is goodbye. You’re just... too much for me. I can’t handle you.”  
Before Lotor hung up, Lance could hear a giggle in the background, and the rustling of bedsheets.   
Lance realized after Lotor had already hung up that he hadn’t said anything, hadn’t been able to respond. What could he do, though? It’s not like he could change Lotor’s mind, nor was it his place to try. But... too much? Lance was too much? How? What had he done? He supposed he was sometimes a little loud and rowdy. He couldn’t help it, though, he came from a big family. Did he take up too much space, demand too much of Lotor?   
Lance shrunk at his thoughts, clutching his knees to his chest. Breath was harder to come by every second, but he only tightened his arms around his knees, trying to disappear into himself. He wasn’t quite sure yet what had actually happened, or what he was going to do from now on. He’d been with Lotor for so long that he didn’t know if there was a ‘without Lotor’.   
His fingers were digging into his jeans painfully, grounding him just enough for him to realize that he was sobbing, and that Hunk was standing in the break room doorway, frozen, mouth open.   
“Lance?” It was barely a whisper, so soft and sad. Hunk didn’t know what had happened, but he couldn’t bear to see his best friend looking so broken and small. 

************************  
Lance didn’t remember driving to his apartment, but he awoke under his covers. It wasn’t as warm as he would’ve liked, one body couldn’t warm and entire queen sized bed. That, of course, only reminded him that Lotor, who had previously helped with that, wasn’t ever coming back. He hadn’t even said goodbye in person. Did he think that Lance would make a scene if he did? That he’d beg him to stay or cried in public? Lance couldn’t deny that he might’ve, but that didn’t mean this whole situation didn’t suck.   
Lance walked out of his bedroom, still feeling like shit but at least not sobbing anymore. Once in the kitchen, he noticed an entire tray of chocolate chip cookies waiting for him.   
Looking closer, Lance spotted a note with Hunk’s large handwriting on the front displaying Lance’s name. In the note was written

“I’m not sure on what happened, but I brought you home and got you the day and tomorrow off from work. Rest and tell me about it when you’re ready. Hunk.”

Lance could feel his eyes filling to the brim with tears, a few overflowing and rolling down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe that Hunk would go to all that work just so Lance would maybe feel a bit better. He always seemed to know exactly what to say to not overwhelm Lance. Of course, Hunk would say that it wasn’t really any work, and that he wanted to do it, but Lance appreciated it so so much, Hunk would never know. Lance didn’t know if he felt better with cookies, but he definitely didn’t feel worse.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exams are over, yay! I hope I have more time to write here, but I have more exams in three weeks, and my German certification in four, so let’s see if I can squeeze in a few short chapters sometime. Enjoy! Please send kudos and comment. I love comments, seriously.

Lance wasn’t going to make it. He couldn’t. Not sitting in his apartment alone, with only his thoughts to keep him company. And those thoughts were, of course, revolving around Lotor. What was he doing right now? Was he with another guy, complaining about how annoying Lance had been, how he was so glad he’d cut it off between them? Or, worse, had he completely forgotten about Lance, not even thinking about him? Was Lance pathetic for thinking about Lotor, for being miserable and sad and- lonely? So, so lonely. Lance had never felt so much like the world had abandoned him, as if the universe had forgotten he existed, like he had turned into dust, blown away by any small gust of wind. Torn apart, strewn throughout the world, each separate particle of his being in pain.   
Lance forced himself to stand up, when had he sat down by the kitchen table? It didn’t matter, he wouldn’t sit here and wallow in self-pity.   
So Lance put on his favorite t-shirt, some of his comfier pants, ran a brush through his hair, and walked out the door. Where was he going? Not a clue in the world, but he was determined to get there.   
Walking to the park, Lance day down on an empty bench. Surprisingly, he was staring to feel better, less like dust and more like a sad person. It might’ve had to do with the sunshine caressing his cheeks softly, or the sound of children laughing and dogs tapping happily. It seemed that even if he had been feeling so awful alone in his apartment, other people were still out enjoying their days, playing and dancing and laughing. Lance was sure there were also people somewhere who were feeling awful, maybe they should walk outside, let the positivity of the simple happiness around them bring up their mood, even if it was just a little bit.  
Lance closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of fresh grass and mid morning air, sure that he would be okay, at least for a little while. He knew going home to his empty apartment was inevitable, but there was no way he was going back now.   
When Lance opened his eyes, he noticed, sitting on the bench beside him, a cat. It was sleek, a beautiful light gray color, not tabby though, just one shade of gray. It had green eyes, maybe hazel? Could cats have hazel eyes? It was stretched out beside Lance, probably trying to get as much sunshine as it could. And it was staring right up at Lance. Did cats usually just lie down close to complete strangers? If this cat was a child, Lance would’ve been telling it not to go up to random people, but how do you tell a cat that? With words, Lance decided.  
“You shouldn’t just lie down next to strangers?” Lance started. “What if I wanted to eat you? Or make a coat out of your fur, Cruella DeVil with cats? You could get hurt. You’re really pretty, you know that? You’d make a cute coat. Of course, I wouldn’t fit into a coat so small. More like a coat for another cat or something.” Lance paused. He probably sounded like a crazy person, but the cat seemed to take in his every word, it was almost... comforting.   
He wished he knew whose cat this was, they were probably missing him. Lance looked around, spotting a woman sitting on the next bench over, reading a book and smiling, in her own world. Lance didn’t want to break her happy spell, so he looked to the other side. Two benches over was another woman, tying her shoelaces. Lance picked up the cat carefully, then made his way over to the woman.   
“Hey. Do you run here often? Do you know whose cat this is?” Oh no, he hoped that didn’t sound like flirting and scare her off.   
“Ah. You picked up one of the strays. There’s a ton of stray cats here, sometimes people will pick one up, though. If you ever need a cat, just come find one here rather than buy one. Give it a home.”  
Wow, she conveniently knew that off the top of her head? Boy, was Lance lucky. And double lucky. He wanted to keep this cat, make his apartment less empty.   
But that meant that Lance had a big, important decision to make... what should he name this addition to his family? Names had always been important for him, it defined how people would perceive you and how you would portray yourself. Lance stared into his new friend’s eyes. Not an easy decision at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment ideas for the cat name if you have any.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry, long note) First of all, thank you for not murdering me when I take so long to update this story. We had a practice test for my big important German certification, and I aced it! Now I feel more confident and can finally get back around to this. Thank you guys for the support, please leave a comment if you enjoyed it. Please remind me if I forget to update this, because I am a piece of poop and always leave it for the last minute.

****************************  
Blue. It had a nice ring to it. The cat’s eyes weren’t even blue, but what the hell. Lance had decided, and so it would be.   
Blue sat beside Lance on his couch at home, not purring, just asleep and breathing. Oddly enough, it was really relaxing.   
Lance somehow only now noticed the pain prickling at his eyes, like many small needles stabbing his eyeballs. His eyelids drifted shut, easing the pain. Maybe if he left them closed for a little while, the pain would stop.   
When Lance awoke, it was to a soft pressing on his forehead. When he opened his eyes, he saw only fur. Reaching up, he found Blue. He had been pressing his paws to Lance’s forehead, probably hoping for attention or food.  
Lance sat up straight, bringing the loving cat to his chest and cradling it like a small child. He felt warm tears running down his cheeks, he didn’t want to be alone right now. He was so grateful to have found Blue.   
Lance stood up, bringing Blue with him. He had fallen asleep without even buying cat food or a litter box for Blue. That would be his next mission. He stared down at Blue’s closed eyes and peaceful face. Should he bring him along or leave him at home? Was he even allowed to bring a cat into a store? Probably not. Oh well, Blue would have to stay.  
On his way out the door, Lance landed a small, soft kiss on Blue’s also soft forehead. Lance felt his lips pull at the corners, his mood lifting and his heartstrings being pulled. He had always wanted a family, and Blue felt more like family in this moment than Lotor had for years.   
Walking to the nearest Walmart, Lance hummed and skipped, not even sure if it was alright to not feel depressed anymore. Did it mean he hadn’t loved Lotor enough to mourn him? Was he just a fickle person, unreliable? No, he wouldn’t let Lotor get into his head, he was fine.   
Not humming anymore, but with more resolve, Lance strode towards his goal. Once there, he marched towards the sign that read ‘PETS’.   
Toys, clothes, beds, food, every color assaulted his vision. The smell of plastic chew toys and dog food seemed only to permeate the very aisle he was standing in, as the smell hit him the moment he stepped into it.   
Suddenly unable to stand still, Lance explored the cat section of the aisle, finding a large assortment of food to choose from. He finally decided on a large bag of dry food, so that it would last a while. He set a small litter box, along with the food, into his empty cart. Spotting an adorable blue cat bowl set with a white fish design, Lance added it. It was perfect!   
On his way to the checkout counter, Lance added a warm, cooked chicken and a bottle of iced tea to his cart. Now he wouldn’t have to cook or do dishes when he got home.   
After he had paid and all of his items were put into bags, Lance noticed a problem. Most of his grocery bags he hung on his arms, which meant he was carrying the cat food, too big to fit into a bag, in his arms. He was fine now, but he knew he would get tired before he reached his house. Wow, was he ever dumb. Oh well, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I......, I have no excuses. Christmas holidays are busy.... I am so sorry to anyone who ever believed I would update in a timely manner, I have failed you. But here is the next part, please don't crucify me. Comment to remind me to continue and not to forget this exists. I get distracted easily. Anyways, enjoy.

Lance was breathing heavily, sitting on a park bench, having taken a break from the walk home. The bags were heavy, and Lance was not buff by any stretch of the imagination. He was lithe, tall and thin like a stick.   
Not wanting to leave Blue home alone for too long, Lance stood up with his bags and continued on his way.   
After a few minutes, he felt his arms weighing down, he wanted nothing more than to sit down and relieve himself of the heavy bags cutting into his arms, able to put down the large bag of cat food that didn't fit well in his arms and made him feel ridiculous.  
"Did you want help with that?"  
"Jesus-" Lance would have dropped the bag had someone not caught it before it could hit the ground.   
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you like that. This stuff looked heavy, so I thought maybe you'd appreciate some help?"  
Finally looking at the guy, Lance noticed three very important details.  
One, the guy was buff. Yes, buff was the word, but softer. He seemed too nice for the word buff. Maybe... buft? boft? soft buff? He didn't know, but it was incredibly attractive.  
Two, the guy had a scar running across his face, on the bridge of his nose, like a fucking anime character or something. Not to mention part of his hair was white. He was definitely the protagonist in something.  
Three, he was a regular at the coffee shop, which was probably why he decided to help Lance out, if he recognized him as the barista there.  
Lance suddenly realized that he'd been too busy observing the guy to answer him.   
"Uh, yeah, um, sure. Mhmm," Jesus Christ, he was awkward. "Yeah, that would, uh, that would be great."   
He couldn't help but notice the warm smile forming on the other man's face.  
With the cat food now out of his hands, Lance was confident he could easily carry the rest home in no time.   
"So, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor, do you have a name?" Lance started.  
"Shiro. Takashi Shirogane."   
Lance could not believe it. Even his name sounded like a shounen protagonist name.   
"Well, Shiro, I'm Lance. Lance McClain. Thank you for helping me out, I guess I forgot to factor in my skinny arms when I went shopping."  
Shiro lit up, a small laugh bubbling out of him. "Yeah, they're cute."   
Lance didn't know if that was a compliment, cute arms? God, this guy was awkward. Lance's lips tugged at the corners, forcing his mouth into a smile. This guy seemed buff, but he was adorable.   
Before Lance even realized, they were talking about anything and everything, laughing and walking down the road. Shiro turned out to be incredibly interesting, knowledgeable in everything from politics to anime.   
Lance couldn't remember the last time he had had such a captivating conversation where he didn't feel pressured to sound smart. He could make jokes, give his honest opinion, and he listened to Shiro's thoughts closely. He was a huge sweetheart, a lot like Hunk, and Lance felt comfortable around him.  
Suddenly, Lance stopped dead in his tracks. They'd arrived at his apartment building, but he didn't want to say goodbye to Shiro just yet.  
"Help me carry the stuff up?" His eyes were hopeful.  
"Sure, if you want me to." There was that smile again, warm and kind.   
They headed up.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. Thank you for being patient with me, I am a trash piece of garbage human being who cannot write a chapter within a week to save her life. I actually forgot that I had a story here, whoops. Please leave comments, I absolutely love comments. They give me life. Anyways, enjoy this super short and super adorable chapter.

*********************  
Shiro could not believe his luck. He’d just happened to run into Lance on his way home from one of his tutoring sessions, and he’d actually been able to talk to him! He hadn’t imagined that Lance would be so knowledgeable when it came to the things Shiro liked. He hadn’t been sure if he would be able to have a conversation with Lance without being incredibly awkward and putting his foot in his mouth, but the conversation had flowed, moving from one subject to another and another.  
Now they had arrived at Lance’s apartment, and they immediately saw Blue sleeping on the couch, stretched out like a piece of taffy. Lance smiled warmly, causing Shiro to lose his train of thought. His eyes softened at the love in the smaller man’s eyes, at the warm smile on his face.   
After putting the cat food and other groceries away, the two men sat on either side of the cat on the couch. Lance picked Blue up, kissing the feline on the forehead and laying him back down on his lap. Blue curled up on Lance’s lap, continuing his peaceful sleep.   
After a few seconds of Lance watching Blue sleep and Shiro watching Lance watch Blue sleep, Lance suddenly seemed to realize that he was not alone. He burned red, turning his head to look at Shiro and mumbled out an apology. Shiro then also mumbled out an apology, both cementing the fact that they were awkward airheads.   
“Your cat is nice. What’s his name?” Shiro had completely forgotten to even ask about the cat, but seemed to somehow have gotten his sanity and his tongue back just in time for the silence not to have been too long.   
“Oh! He’s Blue. I actually just got him today, I was feeling really bad but then I went to the park and it smelled nice and I guess he was also nice and he made me not feel lonely so I decided to keep him and...” Lance had been rambling, but suddenly stopped, as if there was nowhere left for his train of thought to go.   
“He, uh, it’s- a lovely name.” Shiro was so dumb. He was dumb on another level, and he couldn’t believe that was the only thing he had said. Should he add to it? No, that would just seem forced at this point, like a last minute add-on to save ass.   
“Yeah, I guess.”   
Dammit, now Lance looked down. Shiro felt like an ass.   
“Oh, shit! I’m supposed to make lunch for my nephew! Sorry to leave suddenly, Lance, glad I could help with the cat food and stuff. It was awesome talking to you, maybe we could do it again sometime?”  
“Sure, I’d like that.” And Lance’s face looked better again. He absentmindedly played with Blue’s feet.   
“Awesome, thanks! See you then, love ya!”  
The door closed. Shiro walked down the hallway. He stopped. ‘Love ya’? Oh, no.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. Guess what? This update is on time, what? Insane. Please leave a comment if you like it, or even if you don't like it, comments always make me so so so happy. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lance sat on his couch, mouth hanging open and cheeks burning. Shiro had said he loved him, but it was as he was leaving and he didn't really put much thought into it. It had probably been a mistake, right? Like when you accidentally tell the waitress that you love them or something.   
Mrrrrrreow!   
Blue needed food. Lance put some in the bowl he'd bought, then put water in the other one. Blue was so cute when he ate, he made little sounds of contentment and drank water in between every few bites.  
"You are such a little weirdo, Blue. Thanks for being here." Lance smiled warmly at his cat.   
Feeling much better than he had the last few days, and even that morning, Lance decided: he would go back to work tomorrow, everything would work out. He'd have to remember to thank Hunk, he had been a lifesaver.   
For now, though, all Lance really wanted to do was relax before he went back to work. Deciding on a relaxing bath as his method of calming, Lance ran the bath, making sure to sprinkle some rose bath salts over the hot water.   
Lying in the hot water, breathing in the scent of  heady roses, Lance couldn't help dozing off, warm and calm, perfect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Shiro arrived at his house with a burning face, still embarrassed about his last words to Lance. Maybe Lance wouldn't notice, or would think it was an honest mistake? God, Shiro hopes so. He was so stupid.   
When he entered the kitchen, he came face to face with Keith, leaning against the counter observing his painted black nails.   
"Oh, uh, hey. Keith. Hey. You waiting for me to make lunch? Sorry about that, I’ll get right to it.” He started taking out a pan and all the ingredients he would need for a simple chicken vegetable stir-fry.  
As he cleaned the vegetables, Shiro noticed Keith’s gaze following him intensely.   
“Do you want help?” Shiro turned to look at his nephew, surprised by his question. His mouth turned up at the corners.  
“Of course, buddy. Grab a knife, you can help me chop these vegetables.  
Unsure if he was imagining Keith’s small smile, Shiro just deposited the mushrooms and carrots on a chopping board for Keith, while he started on cutting the chicken into smaller pieces. They chopped up the onions and tomatoes together, Shiro tearing up while cutting the onion, and soon enough, they had a wonderful meal warm and ready in front of them.   
They ate their share, Shiro asking Keith about school and Keith flossing over most details but at least answering the questions. Yes, school was fine. Sure, he was getting good grades. Yeah, he was doing homework. No, he hadn’t made any friends yet.   
Shiro paused there, wanting to ask more or encourage the boy to make an effort, but not wanting to seem overly protective or controlling.  
He settled with a “You will,” hoping desperately that it was the right thing to say.   
He really did hope that the young man would find friends he could count on, find a new life here.   
With all that had been going on with Lance, Shiro had almost forgotten the very reason they had come, and what Shiro should have been concentrating on: Keith. Shiro couldn’t really get a boyfriend, he had to take care of Keith. Not to mention, most guys didn’t want to date a guy who was taking care of a teenager, no one needed extra baggage in their life. Shiro would have to become more focused, he knew that. So why did the thought of it tug his eyebrows down and bring cold to his chest, put ice in his stomach?


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. First of all, guys, thank you so much to everyone who was patient when it came to this chapter. I wasn’t having a really good time and I was busy and overly stressed. This chapter will not be long, since I'm in the middle of packing. I'm leaving for Canada tomorrow for a college audition, but i really wanted to give you guys at least a short chapter before I left, since I won't have time to write next week. Here it is, hope you enjoy!

Lance couldn't believe how great he was feeling, again! With every normal thing he did, Lotor seemed further and further away. Every customer that greeted Lance with a smile seemed to brighten his day. Lance had always been a people person, someone who felt happy when other people were happy, and always glad to help. It was probably the reason why he decided to work at a café, where he could always see and help people.   
Even better than the customers, Lance was glad to see his best friend, Hunk. Hunk had some sort of wonderfully warm energy about him, the way he smiled widely and laughed at his own jokes, his bright T-shirts and most of all his hugs. Hunk was like a portable furnace, one that was filled with love.  
Sometime during Lance's shift, his friends Matt and Pidge came into the café, lugging their laptops and bags, obviously about to do some serious coding for their new game. When they saw Lance standing at the counter, their faces lit up at the same time. It was obvious they were siblings when they did something so in sync with one another, they could almost be twins if not for the height difference.   
Pidge ran up to the counter, looking Lance up and down and smiling brightly.  
"You're here!" she exclaimed. "That's great! Are you feeling better? Are you okay?"   
Though Lance was feeling a bit overwhelmed by Pidge's enthusiastic questions, he was glad to know how much she cared, it almost brought tears to his eyes.  
"I'm feeling good, I think." Lance followed up his statement with a smile.   
"Awesomesauce!"  
After Pidge and Matt ordered their drinks, they sat down at a table, taking out their over abundance of notes and spreading them around their laptops. They'd probably be coding until the shop closed.  
Lance got back to work taking orders, making drink orders and bussing tables. The time seemed to pass quickly and soon enough it was time to close the shop.   
"You know, Lance, I would love to meet your new cat." Of course Hunk would want to, be loved cats. "Maybe the three of us should walk you home and we can meet the cat."  
"That'd be really nice," Lance mumbled. "Maybe afterwards you all want to stay over? I mean, it is Hunk's and my day off tomorrow."   
"Sounds like a plan, buddy."  
When they arrived at Lance's house, Blue was waiting at the door for Lance. He picked her up and held her against his chest, listening to her purr for a second.  
"Oh my God! She's beautiful!" Hunk's eyes were sparkling as if he'd just found the secret to infinite cookies. He held out his arms to the cat, wanting to hold her.   
Lance deposited Blue into Hunk's arms, petting her head softly.   
Matt and Pidge also crept closer, gently running their hands through her soft fur.   
After they had all held her a little while and Lance had added more cat food and water to her bowls, they sat down on the couch. It was the perfect length for the four of them.   
While the others started arguing about which movie to watch first, Lance grabbed all of the blankets he owned and brought them back to the living room. They all spread the blankets over the floor and couch, each person getting comfortable.   
After a long debate about the movies, where Pidge wanted to watch IT, Hunk didn't want a horror movie and suggested The Little Mermaid, and Matt of course wanted to watch Spirited Away, they came to a compromise and decided to watch Coraline. It always seemed to end in them watching Coraline, it had always been like that. They all loved the movie, but somehow also always needed to have a big argument before they actually got to Coraline. It was almost tradition.  
Throughout the whole discussion, Lance had just smiled knowingly, put the Coraline disc in and waited for them to get to the conclusion. While listening to their voices, he closed his eyes and couldn't help but lightly chuckle. It had been a while since their last sleepover and he had missed it. He was so glad to have the friends he did.   
Before the movie title even appeared on the screen, Lance had dozed off, leaning against Hunk's shoulder, surrounded by the joyful sounds of his friends' laughter and playful banter.


End file.
